Befriending the dogs in DayZ

[Nighthunter (DayZ) 0]

wouldn't be cool to be able to befriend the dogs in Day Z and command them to do stuff like distract zombies and just general stuff like kill a animal and hunt down a animal

[mr stoat 0]

There are dogs in DayZ?

[GeeksterDayZ 55]

Rocket does plan to have dogs as companions in DayZ at some point in the future :)

[Delta Smoke 01 765]

Would be simple to do as there is already an alsatian that is playable in the arma 2 unit database.

[Nighthunter (DayZ) 0]

yes mr stoat as of last update

[Eza (DayZ) 11]

would be also cool to have zombie dogs.

[leestandin@live.com 21]

i dunno i could see me getting upset if some one shot my dog and then going on a vendetta haha

[Zera_Grey 28]

I would like to see companion dogs. For those people who are solo players it would make the lonely post apocalyptic, zombie infested world a little easier to take.

Since dogs are pack animals roving groups of dogs should roam the outskirts of towns. Packs of dogs could not only attack players but occasionally zombies/infected but are other wise ignored by the them. Any dog in a pack wouldn't be capable of becoming a companion and will attack players if they get to close or if they have steak or uncooked meat. If you drop one the steaks or uncooked meat the dogs will eat that and leave you be for a period of time/long enough to get away. If you are being chased by zombies and have fed the pack of dog you can cross the packs path and they will attack the zombies chasing you. If the zombies attack the dogs the dogs will fight them till either the pack is dead or the zombies/infected are dead.

To get a companion dog you have to find a dog without a pack to follow. These dogs would be more likely in small towns or wondering around the continent. They would be more timid, bolting if approached to quickly. Usually these dogs will already be wounded with broken bones and/or bleeding, they would also be hungry and thirsty. To get him to trust you and become your companion you will need to heal the dog, feed and give water to the dog and carry it to a fire and wait till it is healthy enough to move. You would have to feed it and give it water when it whines while the dog is healing. Then once it is trusting of you and is all better you get the dog as a companion.

pros for owning a dog:

1. alerts you with a growl that you are walking to close to a zombie or a player.

2. it can catch small prey.

3. it can be used to attack zombies/players

4. it can be given a small pack to wear to carry extra items

5. it can cause packs of dogs to stay away from you.

6. if you die your dog will attack your killer

7. you can command your dog to do simple tasks

cons of having the dog;

1. it takes along time to gain trust/heal the dog

2. you have to share food and water with it and heal it if it gets hurt

3. it can die and doesn't re-spawn.

4. it can attract zombies/players to you if your not careful.

to specify my points lets look at pros.

1. alerts you with a growl that you are walking to close to a zombie or a player:

This is useful when sneaking around towns where you can't necessarily see everything around the next corner or in every room. the growl would be low so only the players/zombies that are a couple of feet away would hear it and if you are that close anyway you deserve to be heard. at night it would be a good way to avoid players and zombies. The dog would start growling when you are just near the radius of zombie detection. with players the range would be less then with zombies and vary on how the opponent player is moving.

2.it can catch small prey:

this is useful in keeping the dog fed as well as you. if you are in a field and a rabbits around or a bird you can send the dog after it. if you don't have a hunting knife you can feed it to the dog instead. this saves canned food for you and keeps your dog healthier then if you fed him beans.

3. it can be used to attack zombies/players:

always good to have a helping hand definitely if you solo. the dog attack first knock the zombie down by attacking their legs then it would bite the neck to kill. this means a three strike kill allows enough distraction so you can pick off the zombies with your weapon. seeing how zombies swarm a player when close enough I would think the dog could cause this so you can kill swarms. don't expect a healthy pup if you do that but it would be useful in a dire situation. attacking player it would go for anywhere on a person if they are standing or sneaking or even prone with possibility of breaking limbs as well as guaranteed bleeding wound. this is not overpowered since you can always shoot the dog before hand.

4. it can be given a small pack to wear to carry extra items:

extra storage is always useful, definitely in survival situations. the backpack would not be common and will not hold more then 4- 6 items.

5. it can cause packs of dogs to stay away from you:

if dog packs are implemented protection from them or other dogs is always good to have. one less enemy easies the mind when traveling.

6. if you die your dog will attack your killer:

dogs are loyal plus it keeps the dog from being taken by other players since it will keep attacking till it dies. if it is lucky enough to live it would no longer be companionable because it would no longer trust humans. it would also tie the dog to the city town or field/forest it is left in and attack players till killed.

7. you can command your dog to do simple tasks:

commands would be: Sit, Stay, Heel, attack, find/search, lay down/get down, come,

sit: sits where ever the dog is.

stay: your dog stays where it is.

heel: gets your dog to stick close to you when moving

attack: dog would attack nearest target. when a player shoots you or the dog you can command attack and the dog will attack the player even if he is not the closest target. when attacking an animal it will stay by the kill if it attacks a player or zombie it returns to you.

find/search: if in a building you can give the command and the dog will "search" for the nearest food item. just follow the dog to get to the food careful of zombies and players.

lay down/get down: if you want to scout ahead with out your dog give the command and he will lay down hiding in the grass/bush. if you move he will move while staying close to the ground. in a building this would be useful against snipers as the dog can stay below the window line or behind low cover.

come: if your dog travels to far away you can whistle for it but it can alert zombies/players to your location.

cons of owning the dog:

1. it takes along time and a lot of resources to gain trust/heal the dog:

this would keep from having everybody owning a dog making it a accomplishment in owning one. like a status saying not only can I survive on my own I can support another being as well.

2. you have to share food and water with it and heal it if it gets hurt:

the dog is a living thing it needs food, water, and protection it is not an invincible creature. it can starve to death, dehydrate, get sick, break bones and bleed out. in real life a dog wouldn't be invincible and go with out the basics, definitely if they are house pets set loose. so yes you need the resources to care for your new dog. Dogs can not drink soda so water is a priority.

the way know your dog needs care is by actually looking at the dog. if he is dehydrated he will be panting. if he is hungry he will bark every now and then. if hurt he will be whimpering and waling slower then usual, his head would be hanging low.

this takes extra resources so be prepared to scavenge/hunt more.

3. it can die and doesn't re-spawn.

if he dies he doesn't re-spawn you lose him for good and have to do the whole process over again. makes players more cautious and less likely to put both themselves and their companion in danger. (hopefully)

4. it can attract zombies/player to you if your not careful.

most of the time them zombies will ignore the dog, but if he is hurt or hungry/thirsty and is within range of zombies he can attract them to himself and you. this is because of panting/barking/whimpering if he is running or attacking zombie/player. dog attacks are not silent. if he is seen by other players they will either inspect to see if they can be theirs or if a player is around the area. on the plus side you could lay traps for players if you play that way.

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I say if players can control and support multiple dogs go ahead and deal with them but with food and drinks scarce it would make things interesting.

[BurritoBandit 24]

The only thing is what if I have a group of people with me? If I die, it would kill them all until shot. That and it would constantly growl because others are in the area... There needs to be a way to make this more group friendly.

[_Profile_Shame 37]

WHAT FUCKING DOGS

[Zera_Grey 28]

The only thing is what if I have a group of people with me? If I die, it would kill them all until shot. That and it would constantly growl because others are in the area... There needs to be a way to make this more group friendly.

the dog attacks the person or zombie who killed you and only attacks when ordered when you are alive. if you die and it kills the zombie or player that killed you, if it is a player the dog probably dies. if its a zombie then most likely there are more around and they will be alerted by the commotion and attack the dog. I guess a delay can be added like a pet grieving for it owner where the dog sticks to the body till your body de-spawns and is not aggressive to other players. by that time your friends would probably be long gone with your loot but you lose the dog. the dog is no longer able to be a companion animal so people don't have that reason to kill you since the dog will attempt to slaughter them.

Edited July 14, 2012 by Zera_Grey

[biggy101 9]

On the topic of animals. How about using Horses to get around? Maybe you need to find a rope first to catch one, then you need to tie them to things like trees, street signs etc otherwise they slowly wander off. Also allow horses left unattended both tied up and untied to be stolen.

[GeeksterDayZ 55]

WHAT FUCKING DOGS

Erm, the ones that Rocket is going to put in the mod... in, like, months' time away yet :P

Edited July 14, 2012 by GeeksterDayZ